KALAMAZOO -- Chris Jones knows his way around a kitchen -- he's been in the restaurant business for 20 years. But cooking food that tastes good is no longer enough for Jones. Now he hungers to turn food into art.

And he did that recently for his father, state Rep. Robert Jones, who on April 1 announced his fight against esophageal cancer.

Chris Jones, 41, is studying to be a chef at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Tucker, Ga., near Atlanta.

"I can make food taste good and look good, but to really capture a person's imagination is on a different level," Chris Jones said. "My instructors say, 'Make it look sexy on a plate.'"

Jones was in Kalamazoo from March 28 to April 4 to visit his father and stepmother, Callie Baskerville-Jones. When he found out about his father's illness, he decided to use his free time during spring break for the visit, he said.

Jones brought a rolling chest filled with cooking supplies to use as he shared his love for cooking with his dad and stepmom.

"That's the way I show love for my family -- I cook for them," Jones said. "As much time as I've spent in restaurants cooking for other people, it is important that I cook for my family as well."

During his week-long visit, Jones prepared a deboned and stuffed chicken for his father, pan-seared chicken with homemade Alfredo sauce over fettucine, a pork tenderloin stuffed with apricots and prunes macerated in port wine, pesto-infused mashed potatoes and gnocchi pasta from scratch.

State Rep. Robert Jones.

Jones also displayed all of his cooking utensils, explained their uses and talked about his studies -- culinary mathematics, food science, baking, regional American cuisine and international cuisine.

"I thought it was a great way for a son to show he cares about his father," Robert Jones said. "He also got a chance to show off his talents and skills so you got a feel for what a top chef can do."

Chris Jones also visited several of his favorite Kalamazoo eateries, such as The Big Burrito, which he said has better Mexican food than most people think, and Super Chicago Subs & Grill, which he claimed makes the best Italian beef sub in Kalamazoo.
Jones, who grew up in Kalamazoo and worked at the Oshtemo Township restaurant McGinnis Landing from 1986 to 1999, is planning to graduate from the intensive 15-month culinary program at Le Cordon Bleu in September. He eventually wants to be hired as an executive chef at a reputable restaurant.

Although he's been a kitchen manager at several restaurants, he said he needed more academic culinary knowledge to excel in the business.

"I'm extremely proud to see that after many years in the business, he's going after the top of it professionally," his father said.